by: David Silva
If you've ever been nipped by a puppy, you know those teeth can be as sharp as ice picks. While other dogs generally have thick skin and can handle a nip relatively undamaged, we humans are not quite so fortunate. And yes, a puppy bite can definitely break skin.
So how do you put a stop to your puppy's nipping?
First, it helps to understand that he's not biting maliciously. Biting and mouthing are natural activities for puppies and young dogs. They instinctively nip when playing with their siblings. This is the way they interact with the world around them. Left with his family, a puppy would soon be taught by his mother and siblings to control his bite. But most puppies are removed from their mothers before they've had a chance to learn this lesson.
With this in mind, taking advantage of your puppy's natural instincts can actually provide you with an easy, painless way to inhibit his biting. All you have to do is let him play and socialize with other dogs. Puppies love to tumble and roll and play. They also love to nip. If your puppy becomes a bit too rough in the company of other dogs, the rest of the group will quickly correct his inappropriate behavior. As simple as it is, this socialization with other dogs is easily the most effective way for him to learn to control himself when he's tempted to nip.
There are other benefits to socializing your puppy as well. He'll learn not to fear other dogs. He'll expend his excess energy. And you'll find that he interacts better with the rest of your family. Puppies that miss out on socializing with other dogs tend to be hyperactive and destructive and exhibit other problem behaviors. In addition, unsocialized dogs will often react aggressively to new situations.
So any efforts you make to expose your puppy to other dogs and new people (especially children) will pay dividends in many ares of your puppy's development.
This can be particularly helpful if you have children in the family.
Children are closer in size to dogs, and they often have that same puppy-like energy that can be interpreted as aggressive by a dog. So while your puppy is still young (four months old or even younger), this is a good time to have him interacting with children in a proper manner that excites neither your puppy or the children. This can be especially important if your puppy is from a breed of large or aggressive dogs.
The next way to work with your puppy in eliminating biting behaviors is to gain his trust and respect. This goes a long way toward making all training easier and more effective, especially if you're working to correct problem behaviors.
How do you gain your puppy's respect? By treating him with respect.
Whether you're training your puppy or just playing, always treat him with respect. This means no hitting or slapping your puppy, even in situations where you're trying to correct inappropriate behavior. Physical punishment will not only destroy the trust and respect of your puppy, it'll make him afraid of you. More important, it's often ineffective. Reprimanding your puppy will not stop him from biting. It'll only confuse him.
Using positive reinforcement, which generally means treats and plenty of praise, will teach him much faster and more effectively to play without biting.
A puppy that bites will grow up to be a dog that bites unless you teach him better. Left alone, these negative behaviors only become worse. So deal with them early, and deal with them positively, and you'll establish the foundation for a loving, healthy relationship with your puppy for the rest of his life.
About The Author
David Silva serves as the webmaster of Dog Training Unlimited. To learn more about training your puppy visit us at: http://dogtrainingunlimited.com/puppytraining/.
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Get The Boot - A Birds-Eye Look Into MCSE Boot Camps
Get The Boot - A Birds-Eye Look Into MCSE Boot Camps
by: James Croydon
MCSE boot camps have its supporters and its detractors. Some people do not understand why you should have to spend money on boot camp when you can get the MCSE study materials yourself at a fraction of the camp price. However, who has the willpower to actually sit through a self-imposed MCSE training? Not too many people! That is what the MCSE boot camps are for.
These boot camps are typically an intense two-week long MCSE training course that prepares you for the MCSE exams. Some companies that conduct boot camps offering Microsoft certification, especially the MCSE, guarantee that you will pass your MCSE exams. If you happen to fail, they will usually issue a voucher to try it again. For many people who attend these MCSE boot camps, it is preferable to have an intense two weeks with little to distract you rather than drawing out the classes for weeks with outside influences...
Get The Boot - A Birds-Eye Look Into MCSE Boot Camps
Puppy training > Get The Boot - A Birds-Eye Look Into MCSE Boot Camps
Buying a New Puppy? How To Avoid the Pitfalls
Buying a New Puppy? How To Avoid the Pitfalls
by: Armen T. Ghazarians
Many books and articles have been written regarding the art of choosing a puppy (i.e. performing puppy tests, looking for parental OFA certifications, and so on...), but few, if any, discuss the contractual end of purchasing a puppy. I can tell you through personal experience that purchasing a quality show puppy from a famous breeder can be quite a stressful experience because no breeder would give up the pick of the litter to a competitor (for obvious reasons) or to a novice without co-ownership of the puppy. Co-ownership of a puppy entitles the breeder to many rights to the detriment of the buyer. To begin with, the breeder might also be an experienced handler and might contractually require the purchaser to use the breeder as the puppies' trainer and handler. Agreeing to this could be a monumental mistake because the purchaser might be required to pay (even though they might be...
Buying a New Puppy? How To Avoid the Pitfalls
Puppy training > Buying a New Puppy? How To Avoid the Pitfalls
The Training Baby
The Training Baby
by: Ieuan Dolby
My kid is only 6months old, yet he has taught me more than I have ever learnt in the last ten years of supposed life?s experience.
It is amazing really, that one so young can teach so much, that a ball of squeaking immaturity can give and educate others who are theoretically so much wiser and more learned than an ?incy? bit of life that has just popped its head out for a look.
I mean he has taught me nothing startling like quantum physics or rocket science just simple things, an increased awareness of what is around me and a much better understanding of life and how people think and operate as they do! I have over the last twenty years made a career for myself in Marine Engineering, with Diplomas, certificates and degrees falling out of my ears and all backed up by a wealth of hands on experience. But all of this background was so pointless when faced with the pram that we bought!
What is a pram?...
The Training Baby
Puppy training > The Training Baby
How To Eliminate Your Puppy's Love of Nipping
How To Eliminate Your Puppy's Love of Nipping
by: David Silva
If you've ever been nipped by a puppy, you know those teeth can be as sharp as ice picks. While other dogs generally have thick skin and can handle a nip relatively undamaged, we humans are not quite so fortunate. And yes, a puppy bite can definitely break skin.
So how do you put a stop to your puppy's nipping?
First, it helps to understand that he's not biting maliciously. Biting and mouthing are natural activities for puppies and young dogs. They instinctively nip when playing with their siblings. This is the way they interact with the world around them. Left with his family, a puppy would soon be taught by his mother and siblings to control his bite. But most puppies are removed from their mothers before they've had a chance to learn this lesson.
With this in mind, taking advantage of your puppy's natural instincts can actually provide you with an easy, painless way...
How To Eliminate Your Puppy's Love of Nipping
Puppy training > How To Eliminate Your Puppy's Love of Nipping